The British Bandsman 2022 Awards
Since June 2022 The Bandsman has attended contests and concerts, also receiving CD's to review, the awards for 2022 are based on Contest and Concert performances that were attended by The Bandsman so do not include all Concert and Contests.
The best CD of the year is a close one, but for me you would have to go a long way to find a better sound than that of Isobel Daws, her self-titled CD is fantastic, I often go to the tracks and look to pick out which one to listen to and end up listening to it all.
The British Bandsman Concert Performance of 2022
I have attended some great concerts in 2022, the one that sticks in my mind took place as part of the Newbury Festival on May 15th. Tredegar Band played some big pieces with 'Concerto for Euphonium', 'Suite 49th Parallel' and 'So Spoke Albion' all really making a great impression and Gavin Higgins masterpiece receiving a well deserved standing ovation.
The Concert Performance of 2022 goes to Tredegar.
Here is the full programme
Conductor: Ian Porthouse
Richard Strauss arr. Andrew Austin Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare
Hector Berlioz arr. Geoffrey Brand Le Corsair
Philip Wilby Concerto for Euphonium
Soloist: Yu-Han Yang
Ralph Vaughan Williams Suite 49th Parallel
Interval
Ralph Vaughan Williams Variations for Brass Band
Ralph Vaughan Williams Rhosymedre
Gavin Higgins So Spoke Albion
Jimmy Webb arr. Alan Catherall MacArthur Park
The British Bandsman Contest Performance of 2022
With many outstanding contest performances from some remarkable bands in 2022 the decision on the one I think was the best was not easy, each time I considered what I had heard I kept coming back to one performance and that is always a good indicator.
The British Bandsman Contest Performance of 2022 goes to Campbeltown Brass, on the 18th September 2022 they played 'Ghosts, Goblins, Witches and Wizards' in the 2nd Section Finals at Cheltenham and this is what I said in the live comments.
Band Number 16 – Campbeltown
A solid start, it has control and dynamics. Good solo sections that sound confident, the move in tempo is well controlled and the detail remains. Movement 2 is also well handled, good contrasts and good detail. We have a well-balanced start to the 3rd movement and we continue to get the detail, this is going well, some great playing. The 4th movement doesn’t disappoint either, good dynamics and the detail is coming out well. I didn’t hear much wrong with this performance, I think the adjudicators are going to like that.
